the storytime ventures of a children's librarian

Once in a cornfield inMexico, there lived a little red ant. She looked just like her nine hundred and ninety-nine cousins, except that she was a bit smaller than all the others. Because her legs were shorter, she always fell behind and was the last in line. That’s when she spied something yellow under a leaf.

The little red ant followed her trail back through the cornstalks. At last she reached her crumb of cake. The cake was warm and sticky and smelled sweeter than ever. She took a big, big breath. Then, ever so slowly, she lifted the crumb. She lifted it up and up until she could put it on her back…then step by step, inch by inch, all by herself the ant carried her wonderful cake home to the anthill.

(I made a little ant puppet, and used the Mexican words for the animals. It was good!)

Book: Musicians of the Sun – Gerald McDermott

(There were fun characters to voice…you get to be the wind and the sun! And I adore McDermott’s illustrations.)

Craft: Paper Bag Maraccas

Put beans in a paper bag that the kids get to decorate, then twist and tape the bottom!

The Parts:

Under My Sombrero – adapted from Bajo mi sombrero by Anne E. Schraff

It was a hot day, muy caliente, when I went out for a walk. I wore my big sombrero, it cast lots of cool shade.

As I walked along, I met a bird. It saw my big sombrero and the cool shade and asked to share my sombrero. “Puedo, Por Favor?” it asked, “Can I please?” It is a very big sombrero, so I shared it with the bird.

Then I met a mouse as I walked along, and the mouse saw my big sombrero and all the cool shade it cast. The mouse asked if it could share the sombrero, “Puedo, Por Favor?” It’s a very big sombrero, so I shared with the mouse.

As I walked in the hot sun I met a cat. The cat saw my big sombrero and the cool shade it cast. It asked to share my sombrero, “Puedo, Por Favor?” I still had room so I shared my sombrero with the cat.

A little further down the road I met a frog who was sitting in the hot sun. It saw the shade from my large sombrero, and it asked to share, “Puedo, Por Favor?” There was still some room in my sombrero, so I shared with the frog.

My hat was a little bit heavy as I walked further down the road in the hot sun. But my sombrero kept me cool. I met a pig who saw my sombrero, and asked if it could share “Puedo, Por Favor?” There wasn’t much room, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I said it could share.

My sombrero was full now, but as I walked further down the road I met a dog. The dog saw the cool shade from my sombrero and asked if it could share, “Puedo, Por Favor?” My hat was full, but the dog was muy caliente, very hot, out in the sun…so I said it could share.

It was very full under my sombrero; it wasn’t big enough for so many! I told all the animals, “Get out, there is no room! Everybody go away!” Out came the dog and the pig. out jumped the frog. Out scurried the cat and the mouse, and out flew the bird. Now it’s just me under my big sombrero, and it fits just right!